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11
Iwas upstairs in the VIP section, silently nursing a drink with Nicu beside me at our club, The Lounge. Downstairs, black leather and purple lighting was the predominant theme. Strobe lights and booming music hit you when you stepped through the door. There was a long bar on either end of the huge space in front of a backdrop of flashing purple lights. The club was best known for the rotating DJ booth in the center, with dancers in skintight neon leotards on platforms of various heights scattered throughout the dance floor.
Upstairs, the mood shifted in favor of decadence. The black leather theme continued, but it was interspersed with scarlet-red velvet instead of flashing purple lights. Beneath striking black crystal chandeliers throwing off dark sparkles were groupings of black leather and red velvet chaise lounges, couches, and low tables made of black wood. The black and scarlet motif was picked up in the velour faux-relief floral pattern of the wallpaper.
Pretty classy if I said so myself. Downstairs was for the masses to twerk and grind against each other, while upstairs was for lounging and hanging out. At the long black wooden bar, stools of the same shade of red as the couches were occupied by one willowy-thin model after another. The only difference between them was the color of their skin or the style of their hair. But not one of them held a candle to Cat.
Apparently, I thought dryly, every woman I laid eyes on failed in comparison to my little brother’s fiancée.
My brothers and I were on club duty most weekends, silently monitoring our realm as various people came up to us to pay homage or talk business. We were like princes of a fiefdom. The men respected us and the women were at our beck and call. Facing the entrance, I leaned back into the booth when my head snapped up. Vladimir, the bouncer, was unhooking the black velvet rope for Cat and her sidekick Jewel to enter.
The first thing I noticed was the bright shade of red lipstick covering her bow-shaped mouth. I was glued to her mouth for one long beat before I remembered to breathe. My eyes wandered down her frame and my body tightened. The tight, black dress might have ended at her knees, but when she turned around, it was backless, leaving little to the imagination. The jutting of her hips alone made my cock weep in my boxer briefs. She looked like she was out looking for a good time. My hands curled into fists.
Bad girlie.
What in the fuck was she doing here? She shouldn’t be in a place like this, and for good reason. My gaze snapped left and right, eyeing the various men who’d become aware of their presence and were blatantly checking them out.
Oh, hell no.
Nicu leaned into me and asked, “Who the hell is that?”
My forehead wrinkled as I mocked, “Who? Your soon-to-be wife?”
Tense, he leaned forward, gnashing his teeth. “No, the chick with her.”
Seriously? He had a drop-dead gorgeous fiancée and the first thing he asked about was her boring little American friend?
“That’s her best friend, Jewel. Don’t you dare think about tapping that, you sick fuck,” I threatened. Like I should be talking, but whatever.
He reared back, realizing how blatant he was, and heaved out, “Of course not.”
Of course not, my ass.No one expected Nicu to be faithful, and Cat was too bright not to know better, but still. Nicu had shown such a lack of interest in her that he didn’t even know that Jewel was her bestie. It was a damn shame because Cat was incredible. She was intelligent and driven, yet sensitive and loyal. Oh, and hot as fuck. She deserved a man who was attentive to her every need, but once they were married, she’d be bound for life to my idiot brother. I loved him, but he was delusional for not realizing what a lucky fucker he was. I shuddered in my suit. Once they were married, once she’d spilled blood for him, any fantasies I harbored about her would be dead in the water. I bared my teeth at the thought as Cat sauntered toward us with her friend.
“Hey, Nicu. Luca,” she greeted in a soft tone, her eyes mostly on me.
“Hey Cat,” responded Nicu as we both simply stared at them. The energy was taut. At least on my end it was. The slit of her slinky dress went high up on her thigh, showing off her slim leg. I saw a flash of a satin band around the top. Was that a garter? Oh, fuck me, just fuck me.
“Who’s your friend?” asked Nicu, eyeing her in a way that was borderline obscene it was so ravenous.
“Nicu, this is Jewel. Jewel, Nicu,” she introduced, slipping into the seat beside me. For the love of all that was holy, she better not—fuck, she was touching me. Her hand landed on my lap. For fuck’s sake, as if life didn’t hate me enough already. The unique fragrance of nectarine, peach, and spring blossoms poured over me, making my stiff cock even harder.
“What the hell are you doing here, Cat?” I gritted out.
Her long eyelashes fluttered in surprise. I’d never used a hard tone with her before. But what was she thinking, coming here, dressed like a sexy vixen, her hair falling in waves around her bare shoulders? Pointed nipples poked through the thin double layer of her gossamer dress. Was she expecting that to cover her? If so, Versace wasn’t doing a good job of it. Fucking hell, if she wanted to show off her body, she should do it for me alone. Yeah, and I got how out of line my possessiveness was, but I didn’t care.
I pushed Cat off the banquette of the booth and to her feet, followed her out, and said to Jewel, “Why don’t you sit down, order a nonalcoholic drink, and get to know Nicu?”
My eyes dipped down the length of Cat’s spine in her backless dress.
Wrapping my fingers around her delicate upper arm, I said to Nicu, “I have something to discuss with Cat. We’ll be right back.”
Eyes on Jewel, Nicu nodded to me absentmindedly. Lifting my chin in the direction I wanted us to go, I tugged Cat across the floor and turned into the quieter hall leading to the employee bathroom and break room.
Pressing her back to the wall, I slapped my palms on either side of her head and crowded her.
Dropping my head until my face was inches away from hers, I snapped, “How the hell did you get in here?”
Considering only people over twenty-one were allowed in, I already had a pretty good idea, but I wanted to hear it straight from her mouth.
